'NO' VOTE WON'T END NEED TO ANNEX

Voters in eight unincorporated communities sent a powerful message to elected leaders Tuesday that went far beyond just saying no to annexation by Pompano Beach.

To state lawmakers, the voters said: Rethink the entire way you handle future annexations. Slow the process down, cross all the i's and dot all the t's before election day, play fair with every unincorporated area and give non-city residents more options.

To Pompano Beach city commissioners, the voters said: We don't believe your promises. We don't like your track record in serving other unincorporated areas you annexed, like Collier City. And we don't want to be saddled with the multimillion-dollar costs of settling the Yardarm restaurant lawsuit against the city.

State and city leaders should heed the message, if they want to accomplish voluntary annexation of these and all other unincorporated areas by the deadline of 2010 in a harmonious, logical way.

The no vote was a sizable 70 to 30 percent margin. Voting no were the communities of Bonnie Loch, Leisureville, Loch Lomond, Pompano Estates and Pompano Estates South, Pompano Highlands, Tedder and Woodsetter. Annexation passed narrowly in Cresthaven, but votes from all nine areas were combined.

Rejection will slow, but cannot stop the inevitable annexation process.

Broward County commissioners understandably want to stop having to supply city-style services to scattered pockets of urbanized unincorporated areas. Doing so is expensive, inefficient, wasteful and confusing. Areas outside cities house 142,000 people and cover only 12 percent of Broward County (52 square miles.)

Tuesday's no voters face trouble ahead. Their taxes and fees are likely to increase, as other unincorporated areas shrink and the cost of supplying them with services rises. Their options will be reduced, with more pressure for forced annexation. Meanwhile, they risk city "cherry-picking" -- annexing tax-rich areas while avoiding tax-poor ones.

The no vote to join Pompano Beach was balanced by an even stronger 83-16 percent yes vote in four nearby unincorporated areas to join Deerfield Beach. The 9,000 residents of Crystal Lake, Willow Estates, Highland Meadows and Parkridge will boost the city's population to 56,000.

A few miles away, residents of tiny Palm-Aire Village (pop. 1,290) overwhelmingly chose Fort Lauderdale as their annexation partner, over North Lauderdale or Pompano Beach.

Lawmakers were well-intentioned in promoting annexation, but didn't play fair:

Why give Weston and the Southwest Ranches the option to create new cities, but deny that to unincorporated areas between Pompano Beach and Deerfield Beach?

Why give Palm-Aire Village the option to be annexed by three adjoining cities, but give the other North Broward areas only one choice?

Why let two areas have the ballot option to stay unincorporated on Tuesday, but deny that to Palm-Aire Village?

Why allow an unreasonably short seven days between a possible yes vote on annexation and the time the city takes control?

Finally, why require a transition plan and interlocal agreement between the county and the annexing cities, but not have it completed before election day?

The unincorporated area will shrink dramatically next year, due to a planned annexation vote for the Intracoastal Beach area and in areas near Pembroke Park, plus the likely creation of a brand-new city by residents of Southwest Ranches.

If lawmakers were listening closely Tuesday, they will make every effort to clear away roadblocks well in advance of election day. One way to do so is to help residents feel they are getting complete, independent, unbiased information on the pros, cons, costs and other impacts of annexing or incorporating, so they can make a fully informed and unrushed decision.

One critic of annexation, firefighters union leader Walter Dix, said it well: "The devil is always in the details."